THE Bangladesh Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism is preparing discontinue the groundhandling monopoly of state-owned Biman Bangladesh Airlines and replace it with foreign investment, reports London's Loadstar.
The policy, drafted recently, aims to enable competitive tariffs for air cargo handling for the exporters and importers fed up with the 'poor' service offered by the state handler.
Officials said the issue of private and foreign investment in Bangladesh handling has long been discussed, but what brought it to a head was the constant scanner failure that resulted in logjams of cargo-laden trucks.
Traders and port users have welcomed the move, saying that private and foreign investors would help develop the efficiency of Biman, which will be forced to raise its service quality with competition from abroad.
If the policy is approved, the civil aviation authority will appoint regulated air cargo agents (RACAs), who will have to pay a security deposit, nearly US$60,000 in the case of Bangladeshi private companies while a joint-venture of private and foreign companies have to pay $90,000.
To get a licence, an RACA will have to pay $30,000 and the renewal fee is set at $12,500. There will be four handling categories with separate licences for apparel, perishables, courier items and others.
Once appointed, regulated agents will stuff outbound cargo, release imports, handle containers and screen the cargo in line with parameters set by the civil aviation authority. They will also be tasked with responsibility for completion of customs-related procedures and handing over cargo to ground handling agents at the airport.
SeaNews Turkey
The policy, drafted recently, aims to enable competitive tariffs for air cargo handling for the exporters and importers fed up with the 'poor' service offered by the state handler.
Officials said the issue of private and foreign investment in Bangladesh handling has long been discussed, but what brought it to a head was the constant scanner failure that resulted in logjams of cargo-laden trucks.
Traders and port users have welcomed the move, saying that private and foreign investors would help develop the efficiency of Biman, which will be forced to raise its service quality with competition from abroad.
If the policy is approved, the civil aviation authority will appoint regulated air cargo agents (RACAs), who will have to pay a security deposit, nearly US$60,000 in the case of Bangladeshi private companies while a joint-venture of private and foreign companies have to pay $90,000.
To get a licence, an RACA will have to pay $30,000 and the renewal fee is set at $12,500. There will be four handling categories with separate licences for apparel, perishables, courier items and others.
Once appointed, regulated agents will stuff outbound cargo, release imports, handle containers and screen the cargo in line with parameters set by the civil aviation authority. They will also be tasked with responsibility for completion of customs-related procedures and handing over cargo to ground handling agents at the airport.
SeaNews Turkey
